Miraculous: Trials of Horror
by TheGrantster
Summary: A young but passionate author is akumatized when his publisher refuses to publish his horror story. With the power to bring his writings into reality, Ladybug and Cat Noir are in for a horrifying treat. Will they survive, or will they succumb to the horrors to come? Viewer discretion is advised.
1. Part I Chapter I

**Part I**

 **Author's Note: Viewer discretion is advised. The following story contains content that may not be suitable for some viewers.**

Chapter I

 _She watched as her one true love was eviscerated before her very eyes. The beast's scabrous, black claws ejected from the dripping red opening in her love's chest, producing a large chunk of his liver. In a fit of terrified agitation, instead of breaking down in fear, a feeling of courage shook her very bones. She felt an overwhelming confidence spur her onward. Picking up the pistol that was dropped when her love was gripped by the menacing foe before her, she took lethal aim at a weak spot between its protruding ribs. She fired once, her hands trembling as the beast plunged its claw back into the widening gash of her love's body. It had no effect on the beast. Focusing with all her might, she fired again, missing the second shot too, that time ricocheting centimeters from the weak spot. The beast then turned its attention to her, merely irked by the stinging of the bullets. Then with one fell swoop, the beast's deadly claws came slashing down upon her. The gun skid to a halt a short distance from her lifeless body. The beast had felled yet another champion, and claimed yet another victim._

"That's it? That's how the story ends? The last of the heroes dies and the evil beast lives on?!" The publisher says, outraged. "That's preposterous! You really expect me to publish this rubbish? This won't sell! What kind of fool do you take me for?"

"Monsieur Puchot, I have spoken with many of my most esteemed proof-readers, and they all agree that it is masterfully written." Léo Chanteur, the young author of the novel explains.

"Well, it may be well written, but if people don't like it, then they're not going to want to read it, and if they don't want to read it, then they won't want to buy it," he insists. You can't just kill off all of the main characters like that! The heroes _have_ to overcome evil. I don't care what you have to say about it. I won't publish it! That's my final word on the matter."

"Monsieur Puchot, why are you so insistent upon the idea that there are heroes and villains? Why can't you see that the story is not about the wicked and flawed monster-slayers who have no motive other than filling their pockets with gold, but rather the monster itself?"

"I DON'T CARE! Someone has to live. I don't care how it happens, just _make_ it happen. Do you understand? Now go re-write it again," Puchot demands.

"It's not a story of good triumphing over evil. It's a story of a misunderstood creature realizing that the only way it can survive in a world where everyone believes it is evil is to be just that: evil," Léo explains.

"That's ridiculous! How is anyone supposed to relate to a hideous creature like that? Why would anyone in their right mind believe that the monster is the good guy?"

Léo contests, "You don't understand-"

"I don't need to understand, because I understand what sells! Now get out of my office, or Ill find a new writer, preferably one who can take a hint from a little criticism." Léo exits his publisher's office and furiously makes his way to the lobby outside.

"Ah, a writer who's publisher can't recognize greatness when it slaps him in the face. How vulnerable he must be to have his greatest work dismissed by a man who cannot understand it, a perfect victim for my evil akuma." Hawk-Moth states. He holds out his hand, into which an innocent white butterfly eagerly falls. With a swish of his hand, Hawk-Moth corrupts this peaceful soul, and releases it into the world. "Now go, my little akuma and alleviate this writer's block."

The akuma flutters into the lobby where Léo is writing on his notepad. The akuma dissolves into the notebook, corrupting it, and Léo transforms!

"Authorror, you now have the power to bring your writings to life and show your publisher what your words can do," Hawk-Moth explains, "but these powers aren't bestowed without a plot. No, your quest is to retrieve Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous for me. Only then will this story reach its resolution."

"And so, a hero is born, or rather a villain. It all depends on your perspective!" Léo declares triumphantly. He starts writing away on his evilized notepad, changing the world around him. The walls of the lobby start to decay a thousand times faster than normal. The wallpaper peels away, revealing rotting wood behind it. A thick smog fills the room, a thin layer of black grime coats every surface, and the floorboards start to creak beneath Authorror's footsteps.

In Monsieur Puchot's office, festering thorny vines creep along the floor and envelop his desk. Puchot drops the phone and jumps away from the black, animated vines. The door emits a blood-curdling peal as it swings open, allowing a wave of fog to flow into the room. Puchot can feel his heartbeat pounding and blood pulsing against the back of his ears. There is a faint clicking noise, then there is a deep gurgling and a snort.

Puchot pulls a pistol out from one of his desk drawers and aims it at the open doorway.

"Don't you come any closer, or I'll shoot. You hear me?" Puchot shouts. The barrel of the gun trembles in his hands as he turns off the safety. He stands there, nearly motionless, his hands quivering, waiting for whatever produced the horrible noises to appear at any moment. The clicking noise returns, and Puchot steadies his aim as it starts to get louder and faster.

There is a CRASH as the monster from Léo's story tears through the doorway, splintering the wood frame to allow its hulking size to fit through. It lunges with claws at Monsieur Puchot. There is one gunshot, one screech of death, and one maniacal laugh from down the hall.

* * *

"Police are saying that the gruesome murder of Monsieur Jacques Puchot has left them scratching their heads…" Mme. Chamack explains from the television screen.  
"Disembowelment, a horrible thing, that is. What is the world coming to these days?" Tom Dupain expresses to his wife and daughter over breakfast.

"I'm sure they'll catch the madman who did it. They always do," Sabine replies. "Anyways, shouldn't you be getting to school, Marinette? You're going to be late again!"

Marinette looks at the clock and yelps. She was completely distracted by the news on the television, and didn't notice the time creeping by. She downs the rest of her cereal with one gulp and snatches an apple from the counter before dashing out the door, bidding her parents adieu on her way out.

On her way to school, she keeps thinking about Monsieur Puchot, wondering what could have possibly happened to him. From the few images they were allowed to show on the television, Marinette concludes that he must have been mutilated not by a man, but by some sort of beast. In which case, this might be a task for Ladybug to tame. However, Marinette has to go to class, so she'll have to look into it right after school.

Marinette takes her seat in Mrs. Bustier's classroom next to Alya, who is buzzing about the news. In fact, the entire class seems to be buzzing about it. The whole room has an air of apprehension, like a string held taut. Even Mrs. Bustier appears a bit apprehensive this morning.

The light from the windows dims, and everyone in the room feels an orchestrated shiver. Marinette looks to Alya for emotional support, only to find her best friend shrinking beneath the desk, deeming this no time to be brave.

The lights in the room go out, and all sounds cease at once. A voice penetrates Marinette's mind and says, "Ladybug and Cat Noir, I know that you're hiding out there, and I want you to know that I'm coming for your Miraculous!" Marinette starts to tremble, and she realizes that everyone else can hear the voice too. "People of Paris, there is no need to fear... so long as you follow my explicit instructions." The voice is slow, and the articulation of the words is impeccable. "Ladybug and Cat Noir will surrender their Miraculous to me. Should they refuse, Monsieur Puchot will be only the first of many. You have been warned. I will not hesitate to keep my word."

The voice fades, only to be replaced with a stinging ringing in Marinette's ears. This can't wait until after school. She has to transform now, before more innocent people are brutally murdered. Marinette can't imagine what could be worse than disembowelment, and she doesn't want to find out either.


	2. Part I Chapter II

Chapter II

Ladybug leaps from the lavatory and makes her way to the roof, where she encounters a skittish-looking Cat Noir. Ladybug greets him, "Cat Noir, you're here, good! Whoever broadcast that message into our heads and killed that publisher must have been akumatized by Hawk-Moth!"

Cat Noir replies, "I've been thinking exactly the same thing, bugaboo!"

Ladybug rolls her eyes, because she hates it when he calls her that. "The problem is where to start," Ladybug begins, suppressing her annoyance, "We haven't the slightest clue where to find him."

"He's an elusive one, isn't he?" Cat Noir states, "I respect that, but don't worry, we'll sniff him out."

As Cat Noir finishes speaking, a voice pierces his mind, "Ladybug and Cat Noir, it's about time you showed your masks. Alas, I'll see your faces too before long. Surrender your Miraculous now, for if you don't, there will be more bloodshed…"

"We'll never give you our Miraculous!" Cat Noir pronounces with defiance.

The voice cackles, then says, "Perhaps you can learn a thing or two from this lovely teacher…"

Ladybug and Cat Noir gasp at once, "Mrs. Bustier!"

Thunder strikes, and a dark shroud eclipses the sky, submerging the whole of Paris into an eerie darkness. Moss and mildew sprout up on every surface of the school so that it is hardly recognizable. The rest of the lights in the school go out, and Ladybug and Cat Noir jump down into the school courtyard, where a number of menacing devices have appeared. Cat Noir's hairs tingle. He doesn't like this one bit. It's a scene straight out of a Spanish Inquisitorial dungeon.

Most of them, Ladybug and Cat Noir fail to recognize or even figure out how they work. Yet Ladybug and Cat Noir hope that they won't find out. There are iron cages hanging from the ceiling by thick metal chains, and there is a wall upon which a variety of strange tools are hung. Among these tools are every shape and size of blade. There are dull blades, razor blades, jagged blades, thorny blades, crooked blades, hooked blades, saw blades, and even blood-stained blades. There are daggers, dirks, and athames. There are swords, sabres, rapiers, and great cleavers. There are spiked maces, blunt hammers, and deadly clubs. In addition, there are all manner of torture devices: chains, belts, gags, drills, hooks, and a variety of other tools neither Ladybug nor Cat Noir can even recognize or understand.

Of the many other torture devices, there is a guillotine and a tall metal pole with several metal limbs, each having a chain and a barbed hook on the end. On one hook, a teacher that neither Ladybug or Cat Noir recognize hangs dead with a hook pierced into his throat, leaving a trail of blood dribbling down his bare and battered chest. In one corner, there is a gallows where two lifeless bodies swing limply in the nooses. Slowly, the bodies turn around, and Ladybug recognizes the deceased faces of Ivan and Kim. She gasps in terror. He killed them! They were her friends! Ladybug looks to Cat Noir who is equally disturbed. Surely he didn't know them like Ladybug did… did he? Either way, this villain is going to pay! But either way, once the akuma is purified, she'll just use her lucky charm to put everything back to normal, and Ivan and Kim will be alive and well again. Yes, they'll be fine once she uses her lucky charm. They aren't dead. They aren't really dead. At least, that's what Ladybug tells herself. It's all she can do to keep her mind focused.

Ladybug and Cat Noir burst into their classroom, and Ladybug discerns that she is standing in something viscous… something sticky… "Blood!" Cat Noir shrieks, jumping back in fright. He tenses, beginning to get queasy. He's never done well around blood, especially not in amounts like this! The floor is flooded with it, and there are stains all over the desks and walls as if people had struggled to escape, but were met only with deadly lacerations. Cat Noir wonders what could have possibly happened to his classmates, and he fears the worst.

Cat Noir feels a drip on his head. He looks up and screams. Mrs. Bustier has been nailed to the ceiling by her wrists and ankles, leaving her body hanging arched. Her lifeless eyes stare down at them, and Ladybug feels her blood-pressure rising. Mrs. Bustier's body is cut open at the throat and torso. She is no doubt the source of the pool of blood beneath their feet. One of her intestines dangles from the rip in her belly, dripping blood from the end of it. A small chunk of guts slips free from among Mrs. Bustier's entrails. Cat Noir jumps out of the way as it hits the floor, splashing blood onto Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Cat Noir wipes the blood splatters off his face and promptly vomits. "Hang in there, kitty; it's just a hair-ball," Ladybug encourages, "On the bright side, I guess _I_ don't have to worry about the blood stains!" She indicates to her bright red super-suit with a meager smile. Ladybug doesn't show it, but she is beginning to doubt herself even now. She has to protect her friends. She has to defeat this akuma. She has to prevent Hawk-Moth from getting her Miraculous!

"Come on, Cat Noir. We've got to find the akuma!"

Cat Noir stands up straight and says, "I'll be fine. Besides, my breakfast was only slowing me down!"

"Whatever you say, tough guy…" Ladybug jests. They exit the classroom together, and Ladybug says, "It's so dark. I can barely see ahead."

"Allow me to light the way, m'Lady." Cat Noir insists, whipping out his baton and twirling it in his hand. He presses one of the buttons, and like a flashlight one end of the baton produces a bright green beam of light.

"How come mine doesn't do that?" Ladybug whines.

"How come mine doesn't de-evilize akumas?"

"Fair enough…"

Cat Noir illuminates the courtyard, which makes the torture devices and the dead bodies look even more terrifying than before.

Ladybug suggests that they split up to cover more ground, but Cat Noir tries to protest, saying that they should stay together, insisting that you never split up in a horror story!

"What? Are you some kinda scaredy cat?" Ladybug taunts, turning away from him.

"No, I'm not scared!"

"Then why did you scream like a little girl when we found Mrs. Bustier?"

"You may not know any of those people like I did," Cat Noir accuses, "but those were my friends and teacher!" Cat Noir is shouting now. How can she be acting like this when people are dying left and right? They were people he knew. Does she even care about the people of Paris? Have the horrors they've seen already driven her mad?

Ladybug stops in her tracks. Those were _his_ friends… and _his_ teacher, which means… which means Cat Noir must go to her school! He might even be in the same class as her! But, he probably isn't in her class. In fact, he's probably in a different grade altogether.

Ladybug takes a deep breath; she has to keep her cool. If she starts freaking out, who knows how Cat Noir will react. She will need his help to take down the akuma. They cautiously make their way down the stairs, expecting something to emerge from the shadows and attack them at any moment. Instead of some horrible monster emerging, the cacophonous sound of a shriek pierces their ears. Ladybug recognizes the voice immediately. It can only be her best friend, Alya Cesaire.


	3. Part I Chapter III

Chapter III

Ladybug realizes that the scream must have come from the basement. She snatches the baton flashlight from Cat Noir and rushes to save her friend. She can't allow Alya to die! She has already failed to save Ivan, Kim, and Mrs. Bustier. She won't let anyone else get hurt, not if there's something she can do about it!

Ladybug weaves through the torture devices in the school courtyard, and Cat Noir tails her down the stairs to the basement. "HELP!" a voice cries, "OH GOD SOMEBODY HELP!" Cat Noir recognizes Nino Lahiffe's voice! He has to get down there as quickly as possible!

They reach the bottom of the stairwell and find three people strapped upside down to three vertical boards. Alya is on the left. Nino is on the right, and of all people, Chloe Bourgeois is in the middle. Each of them has both of their arms stretched out. Ropes are wound around each of their arms, connected to three complicated pulley systems, on the end of which there are three large, suspended counterweights. The ropes are loose for now, but as soon as the weights are released, Alya's, Nino's, and Chloe's arms will be ripped right out of their sockets!

"Ladybug, I knew you'd come to save me! I am your biggest fan after all!" Chloe declares, "Now get me out of here this instant! Being upside down is ruining my hair, not to mention all this muck on my clothes!" The victims are facing away from the counterweights, oblivious of what could happen to them at any instant.

A familiar voice enters Ladybug's mind, "You have a choice, Ladybug and Cat Noir. You can hand over your Miraculous now, or you can watch your friends die. There are two of you, and three of them. You can't save them all, so… who lives and who dies?"

"We wouldn't dream of handing over the Miraculous!" Cat Noir hisses.

Authorror doesn't waste a moment. As soon as Cat Noir finishes speaking, the weights are released! Cat Noir dashes without hesitation to save Nino by smashing the topmost pulley with his baton. The pulley and the counterweight falls to the floor, useless. However, Ladybug hesitates. She has to choose between Alya and Chloe. She can't save them both!

The weights are falling. She has maybe a second to decide. Ladybug has to save Alya, but as horrible as Chloe can be, she doesn't deserve to die like this! There has to be a way to save them both! There's no time for her to think. If she doesn't do something, they're both going to die, and it will be all her fault! Ladybug throws her yoyo, dismantling the pulley attached to Alya's device, but she's just a moment too slow! By the time the pulley is dismantled, it has already dislocated both of Alya's shoulders! Luckily, both of Alya's arms are still attached.

By the time Ladybug turns to Chloe, the ropes attached to Chloe's arms have yanked them out of their sockets and torn right through her skin, flesh, and tendons. Chloe's detached arms dangle from the pulley system, swinging back and forth as Chloe screams in pain, louder than Ladybug thought was humanly possible. Blood ejects from Chloe's shoulders as she screams and squirms, and more blood dribbles from her still swinging arms, painting figure-eights on the floor with the spilling blood. Her face contorts, and she grits her teeth in agony. On each side of Chloe, Cat Noir and Ladybug are drenched in her gushing blood as it spurts out with each of Chloe's frantic heartbeats. "LADYBUG, YOU BITCH!" Chloe screams at Ladybug! "YOU KILLED ME!"

Ladybug's heart sinks further into her gut with each thunderous pound as Chloe's words bite her. She watches powerlessly as the life literally drains from Chloe's body. There is nothing she can do to help her now. Chloe's bright red face gets paler and paler as her blood drains slower and slower out of her body. "My… _hair_ …" is the last thing Chloe mutters before the panic vacates her countenance, and her blanched face goes cold. Her eyes droop, and a vacant glare consumes them as Chloe draws her final breath. Her lifeless eyes fall on Ladybug and remain, staring at her from beyond death. From above, Chloe's arms dangle limply, dripping the last drops of blood. Cat Noir turns green at the sight of all the blood, but somehow he manages to keep his cool.

As horrible and foolish as Chloe was, deep down, Ladybug, Cat Noir, Alya, and Nino know that Chloe didn't deserve to die like this. Cat Noir and Ladybug help Nino and Alya down from the boards to which they're strapped, and Alya winces in pain as Ladybug sets her down. Both of her shoulders were dislocated, and it's difficult to move her without causing her a great deal of pain.

Authorror's voice enters Ladybug mind, "This is what happens when you don't follow my rules, Ladybug." She takes another look at Alya, crying in pain as Nino helps her to sit up. "For your friends' sake, I hope you learn this sooner rather than later." Ladybug looks to Cat Noir, and it appears that this message was intended solely for her. She gets a shiver. How is this villain able to infiltrate her mind like that? And how did he know that Alya and Nino are her friends? She doesn't like it one bit.

"Who did this to you?" Cat Noir inquires.

Nino responds, "It was some crazy dude with a mask. I didn't get a chance to see him, but Alya did." Cat Noir turns his attention to Alya.

"Yeah, I… I saw him." She winces again. They need to get her to a hospital quickly. "He, he had this mask, like," she takes another strained breath, "And this look in his eyes…"

"What was he wearing?" Cat Noir asks.

"He… he had these overalls, and a tool belt around his waist," Alya describes, "And his stench… ugh, he smelled so bad, like corpses and mold."

Cat Noir continues questioning, "Can you remember anything else about him? Did he mention his name?"

Alya closes her eyes, trying to remember what she had seen. "No, that's all I could make out. It happened so fast! I only managed to get a glimpse of him before he knocked us out!"

"Thank you, Alya," Ladybug says. She turns to Nino, "Stay with her," she instructs, "See if you can get her some medical care. Just make sure that both of you get far away from here. This creep could still be lurking around."

Around the corner, there is a clang as something metal falls over, or rather was knocked over. Ladybug and Cat Noir rush to investigate the noise, but by the time they turn the corner, whatever was there is gone. A tin can rolls to Ladybug's feet, no doubt the cause of the noise. She picks it up, and scrutinizes it. It's unopened, and she notices that the label is written in strange characters that she doesn't recognize. It's not Chinese or Japanese. It's not Russian. It's not Arabic, and it's certainly not French or English. Ladybug decides to hold onto it.

Ladybug and Cat Noir delve deeper into the darkness, seeking the culprit of these heinous stunts. She is certain that Hawk-Moth's villain is skulking somewhere in that basement. However, the longer she spends down there, the less it feels like a basement, and the more it feels like a catacomb.


	4. Part I Chapter IV

Chapter IV

Ladybug and Cat Noir approach the steel door cautiously, suspecting that the akuma victim must be hiding inside. Ladybug had no idea that there was such an elaborate tunnel system in the basement of her school! The corridors seem to keep going on and on forever. They had been meandering through the tunnels for over an hour when Ladybug and Cat Noir had started to encounter traps, which were no doubt set by the akuma victim. By following the path of traps that had been laid out for them, Ladybug and Cat Noir managed to find the door.

From behind it, they can hear the faint sound of someone crying. Ladybug presses her back against one side of the door frame, and Cat Noir takes his place on the other side. Ladybug readies her yoyo, and Cat Noir extends his baton, preparing for whatever is waiting for them on the other side. Ladybug nods, and they quickly breach the room.

They're met with bright lights and no immediate threats. It's not a very large room, about the size of a small classroom. There are three surgical tables in the middle with three overhead lights. On one of the tables, the naked body of a girl lies flat on her back. Her head has been shaved, and her face, fingers, and toes have all been removed and discarded into a bloody bucket on the floor. Ladybug hopes that they were removed after she was killed. There is an L-shaped counter in one corner with drawers and cabinets. On the counter lays a variety of foreboding surgical tools. Against one of the walls there are more cabinets and a large bookshelf. And in the other corner, there is a large metal cage where Max, Alix, and Juleka remain.

Max is shivering. His glasses are gone, and his face is devoid of all hope. Alix is crying. Ladybug concludes that Alix must have been the one they heard from outside. She is trying her very hardest to hold it back, but it's simply too much for her to bear. Meanwhile, Juleka holds a subtle grin. Ladybug has only ever seen her smile once, when they were finally able to break her photo curse. Juleka seems rather amused by everything that is going on, which Ladybug finds very disturbing.

Ladybug rushes over to the cage to help them, but before she gets a chance, she hears a panicked Cat Noir call out, "Ladybu-" before his voice is cut short. She turns around, and her face meets the blunt end of a club before she is knocked unconscious.

* * *

Ladybug wakes up to the feeling of something rubbing her face. She opens one of her eyes and realizes that she is being dragged by her feet as her face grazes the tile floor. She must not have been out for very long. Her face throbs under her mask, and it bounces on each crack in the tile; she's going to have a big black eye after this. Looking over her shoulder, she sees the man dragging her. He must be the akuma victim. Just like Alya said, he's wearing overalls, but no description could prepare Ladybug for his putrid smell! His leather gloves grip her by the ankles, reaching behind himself with one ankle in each hand, parting her feet around his waist.

Ladybug reaches for her yoyo, but it's gone! She looks ahead and sees it lying by the cage as she is dragged away from it. She can't let Hawk-Moth's henchman get her Miraculous! With one swift motion, Ladybug pulls one leg out from the strange man's grasp, kicks him to the ground, and cartwheels away from him, scooping up her yoyo in the process.

The strange man quickly gets up and yells hysterically, "I am loved, and I shall love!" before fleeing the room. Ladybug is about to chase him down, when she notices Cat Noir unconsciously strapped to one of the surgical tables! She needs to stop her attacker from escaping, but right now, freeing Cat Noir is the top priority. She's going to need him watching her back if she wants any chance of taking this madman down!

She makes haste in undoing the buckles that secure her partner to the cold table. "Give it up, Ladybug," the same familiar voice invades her mind, "You can't possibly expect to make it out of my labyrinth alive. You should submit the Miraculous now, before it's too late for you and your precious pet."

"I saw you run off!" Ladybug proclaims, "As soon as Cat Noir is on his feet, we're coming after you and ending this!" This maniac is going to pay for what he's done to her friends and teacher!

"I see you've met one of my characters…" the voice says.

"Your… characters?" Ladybug says, confused. What did he mean by that?

"Yes, my poor, disturbed psychopath. He wasn't always like this, you know. Before my story began, he was the child to an abusive father. Poor thing, neglected, ignored, starved not for food, but rather for attention."

"Why are you telling me this?" Ladybug asks, releasing the last of Cat Noir's restraints.

"The only attention he ever received was when his father beat him for misbehaving. It was the only love he had ever known, and the only love he would ever learn... He killed them, everyone he ever loved. Suffering was the only thing his father had taught him. After years of enduring it, he lost his mind. He killed them because he loved them. It was the only way he knew to show his affection, and he was always very… affectionate. When at last, he had no one left to love, he loved anyone who was kind to him. When he killed everyone who showed him kindness, he loved anyone and everyone. Now, he hides behind a mask, lost in his world where no one will ever love him. There's no hope for him now. Just as there is no hope for you, Ladybug."

"You're wrong about that!" Ladybug protests. "Who are you, anyways?"

"You see, Ladybug, my character here is not a person. In fact, I couldn't even tell you if he is human anymore. I never imagined what his face would look like behind the mask."

"What do you mean, not human? Is he some kind of alien?"

"Hush, all will become clear to you in time, as I was saying, my character, he's not really a person, rather he is but a metaphor in this story. He is a beautiful creature created out of love, tortured out of love, and eventually destroyed out of love. He is the great lengths we go for love, the sacrifices we make for love, the suffering we endure for love, and every absurdity and extremity we do for love. It hurts us. It costs us. It destroys us. And when the burning fiery passion of love burns out, when the candle reaches the end of the wick, when the last log in the pit turns white, what remains? This, Ladybug is what remains when love is gone."

"I don't have time for your metaphors, come face me. Who are you anyways and why won't you face me?"

"Patience, grasshopper. I am Authorror, the playwright of this story, and you, Ladybug, are merely a player on my stage."

"Well, since the heroes always win, I guess that I don't have much to worry about."

Authorror cackles, "If you think you're the hero, why are you dressed as the jester?"

Ladybug looks at her superhero outfit and grinds her teeth as Authorror's presence disappears. "Who does he think he is, making fun of my outfit! I'll show him who's the hero…" She says to herself, fuming. "CAT NOIR, WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!" Ladybug shouts, shaking him vigorously. Cat Noir's head moves slowly to one side. He is starting to awake. "WAKE UP!" Ladybug shouts again, slapping him as hard as she can across the face, knocking him completely off the table. A groan floats up from the floor as Cat Noir regains his senses.

"Isn't the princess supposed to wake up the prince with a kiss?" Cat Noir grumbles.

"Only in your wildest dreams, Cat Noir. Now come on, we've gotta go!" Ladybug commands, grabbing Cat Noir by the ear and dragging him out the door.

"Ouch! Wait, what happened to Max, Alix, and Juleka?"

"They're gone," Ladybug explains, "That's why we have to go right now. We have to save them before it's too late!"

Cat Noir wonders if he missed something important, but doesn't say anything, because Ladybug seems to be in a very sour mood…

* * *

"You better let me down from here so I can give you a piece of my knuckle sandwich!" Alix shouts as the psychopath tightens her restraints. She is lying flat on a wooden table with her arms, legs, waist, and head secured tightly back. On the floor next to her, Max and Juleka are tied up and gagged.

"Why don't you take off that stupid mask and show me your ugly face?" Alix taunts, but the psychopath doesn't respond to any of Alix's threats. He simply recites the mantra, "I am loved, and I shall love. I am loved, and I shall love. I am loved, and I shall love." each time, more emphatically than the previous.

The psychopath goes to the edge of Alix's table. He removes his gloves, and traces his index finger down the side of Alix's face. Alix looks into the eye-holes of his blood-stained mask, and in his eyes, she sees terror, remorse, and rage all at once. Then he slides his finger down the naked skin of her neck and over her shoulder. Alix shudders. The touch of his grimy fingers is enough send shivers up and down her spine. Then she remembers how Kim had called the psycho a clown when he intruded on the classroom. She remembers how Kim had looked at her when he told her to run. She remembers the way she felt when Kim punched the psycho in the face. She remembers the look in Kim's eyes the moment before the psycho released Kim's noose. She remembers the panicked look on his face during the few seconds he squirmed in the noose, and she remembers the look in Kim's eyes when the life was finally squeezed out of him.

Alix wishes more than anything that she could have thanked Kim for trying to protect her and everyone else in the classroom. She wishes that she could have told him how she felt about him before he died. He would have laughed in her face, but at least he would have died knowing that she loved him.

Now, Alix is tied up, helpless. It was helpless from the start. The only person who could have helped her now is Ladybug, and this crazy guy had clobbered her with a single blow. Alix is sure that right now, Ladybug is either dead or about to be. There's no hope left in her now. It died inside of her the moment Kim died.

"You think I'm scared of you?" Alix bluffs. Words are the only thing she has left. It may be helpless, but she's still going to fight until the very end, just as Kim did. "You smell like a pig, and you look like one too. Ever heard of a shower? You should try it sometime, you fat cow!"

"Big mouth, this one, yes. Bigger, bigger, BIGGER! Must be bigger. Bigger for me bigger for you. Bigger, bigger, BIGGER!" the psycho laughs hysterically and starts to cry. He pulls out a large ratchet from a cabinet against the wall, and brings it over to Alix's table. Alix says, "What do you think you're-" but she doesn't get a chance to finish her sentence, because the psycho fixes the ratchet inside her mouth. She squirms and tries to spit it out, but the psycho forces it to stay in place. "Wha-dyoo fink ur oin'?" she gags through the ratchet in her mouth.

The psycho starts to crank the ratchet and Alix continues to scream and thrash beneath her restraints. With each crank, the psycho triumphantly exclaims, "Bigger!" and with each crank, Alix's mouth is stretched wider and wider until finally, her jaw snaps. The psycho tosses the ratchet aside, and it clinks to the floor. Alix's broken jaw dangles loosely around her neck, attached only by facial muscles and skin. Her tongue rolls around erratically in her jumbled-up mess of a throat as she continues to scream. From the floor, Max and Juleka watch, unable to see exactly how the psychopath is torturing Alix.

"In the way, not big enough!" the psycho stammers. He yanks Alix's tongue and cuts it right out! Blood squirts from Alix's throat, and the psycho shoves his hands inside, prying her throat apart. "Bigger, bigger, BIGGER!" He reiterates even more frenzied than before. His eyes twitch as Alix's blood sprays his mask, but he stares down the inside of her throat, unflinching. He pulls her esophagus inside out, tearing the soft tissue. Somehow, Alix stays alive. Blood starts to fill Alix's throat. It gurgles and sputters as Alix's diaphragm tries to keep breathing, but before long, she drowns in her own blood.

The life leaves Alix's eyes, but the psycho continues. He takes his knife, and he cuts open her throat all the way to her collarbone before he realizes that she is dead.

"No more…" he says with a somber tone, "no more…" He takes several deep breaths, calming himself down, wishing that Alix had stayed alive for him to do more… Then he turns his attention to Max and Juleka.


	5. Part I Chapter V

**Author's Note: Viewer discretion is advised. Some of you may have noticed that this story is no longer rated T... This chapter is mostly why. If you would rather skip this chapter, I will leave a short note at the beginning of the next chapter for you so as not to jeopardize the continuity of the story as a whole.**

Chapter V

Max's eyes fill with fear as the psychopath stares down at him. Max can see droplets of Alix's blood still clinging to the psycho's mask; her blood has yet to dry. The psychopath removes Max's and Juleka's gag before seizing and dragging Max to the second table. Max begs for mercy, pleading for his life. Unlike the previous room the psychopath had taken them, this one has only two tables, and instead of surgical tables, these are hard wooden ones with large steel restraints bolted into the wood.

Max is hoisted onto the table with ease. The psycho wastes no time slamming him down onto the table and securing his arms, legs, and head. Max is too weak to resist, but even if he had the strength, he wouldn't have had the courage to fight back. He is scared witless, and it takes every bit of Max's being to prevent himself from peeing in his pants. After witnessing the murders of Ivan, Kim, Mrs. Bustier, Sabrina, Rose, and most recently Alix, Max calculates his chances of escape to be less than one percent. Max wishes that he could have the courage to fight back like Alix, but Max saw exactly how far it got her. If Alix couldn't do it, what could he possibly do?

Juleka sits up on the floor, still bound at her ankles and wrists. Her arms are tied behind her back, but she can still lean against the wall. She watches the psychopath pace back and forth, brandishing the blade he used to cut out Alix's tongue. It curves to a deadly point at the tip, and it has teeth on the opposite side for sawing. Juleka recognizes it to be a military-grade tactical knife, a weapon designed specifically for cutting through flesh and bone. This man might be a psychopath, but he has good taste in sharpened steel. Juleka bites her bottom lip, and imagines what it would feel like to have the flat side of that blade pressed hard against her skin. She bites her lip harder.

Juleka watches the way the psycho's hands quiver when he is motionless, a common symptom of cutting one's wrists. Juleka wonders if she'll find the scars hidden behind his long sleeves, just like the ones she hides behind her gloves. After all, the pain is clearly something that they share. The things Juleka has done to herself aren't because she hates living. It's always been a cry for help. She calls out, pleads, and begs for someone to look at her, to pay attention to her, to give her the attention she so desperately craves. The middle child is always forgotten. Juleka's older brother is the eldest. He is the first born, so naturally he is the family jewel. Her little sister is the youngest. She's the precious baby, the spoiled brat, the innocent little monster. Then there is Juleka, always cast out into the shadows, unseen, unknown, and forgotten. She is an item of novelty, acknowledged, taken for granted, then dismissed.

She looks into this man's eyes and sees a child who dwelled in the shadows just as she had, but there is something more. There is something she can't quite understand. What is the source of the pain she sees in those suffering eyes? It's not pain that's self-inflicted. Juleka knows what that looks like, because she sees it every day when she sees her reflection. This man, he's something different. He's endured so much, more than anyone ever should, and for Juleka, looking into those eyes is like looking into a shattered mirror.

The psycho halts his pacing. He looks at Max, cowering in the restraints, and cuts a large hole in Max's shirt, exposing his chest. The psycho slides his finger down from Max's neck until he reaches Max's sternum. The psychopath knocks on the bone a few times with a single knuckle so that Max and Juleka can hear a muffled _clock_ sound each time the bone is struck. Then the psycho raises his knife, grips it with both hands, and plunges the knife into Max's sternum! Max can feel the tip of the knife strike the bone, and it sends every muscle in his body reeling! Max squeals like a pig in distress as the psycho twists the knife, chipping away pieces of bone with each turn of the knife. The psychopath pulls the knife out, and cuts an X onto the skin covering Max's sternum. Blood slowly starts to pool there and trickle down Max's stomach. At this rate, Max calculates that the blood will finish clotting in about six minutes, and there is a 63 to 65 percent chance of it becoming infected if it isn't opened any farther.

"I can't take it anymore!" Juleka outbursts, "Look at me!" She is breathing hard now, agonized by the incessant waiting. Then with conviction, she says, "I want you to hurt me." She closes her eyes and inhales through gritted teeth. "I'm sick of waiting for you to grab me by the hair and drag me over there… I want you to hurt me. I want you to beat me senseless. I want you to choke me until I can't see. I want you to press that cold knife against my warm skin and make me beg for more."

The psycho looks at her and stops everything. He's struck down by what she said. She _wants_ his love… _needs_ his love. He slowly approaches her, kneels down, and puts his face right in front of hers. Juleka stops breathing. Her heart is pounding, and she feels so… _alive_ as he looks her up and down, studying her. The psycho looks at her like she is something inhuman, trying to understand her.

"What are you waiting for?" Juleka teases, although she's the one feeling teased.

The psychopath removes his mask to reveal the face of a strapping young man, laden with scars and bruises. Juleka looks at his face and understands. She was right. This isn't a man who hurts himself. It's a man who was hurt, over and over by the people he loved, and now it's his turn to hurt those he loves. It's not that he wants to hurt people, he _needs_ it. He needs to feel others suffering as he once suffered. Juleka sees it, and she wants him to hurt her. It's driving her crazy.

"What is your name?" Juleka asks.

The psycho hesitates, then says, "Name? Name is Jean. Yes, Jean-Jacques is name! Call me by name. Name is Jean-Jacques!" He continues to stare into Juleka's uncovered eye.

"Call me Daddy." Juleka commands. Jean-Jacques's pupils dilate, and he gasps subtlety.

Jean-Jacques reaches up and pulls back Juleka's hair to look into both her eyes. "Daddy?" he mutters, but as he pulls back her hair, Juleka moans, "harder!"

Jean-Jacques desperately bellows, "Yes, Daddy!" and he yanks her by the hair harder. Juleka moans, at last she feels herself hurt, and it hurts so good! She moans more as he lifts her completely off the ground by nothing but her hair! With his other hand, Jean-Jacques grabs Juleka by the throat and shoves her against the wall, still tugging on her hair.

Juleka gasps, and utters the words, "More... please!" She feels so turned on that she can't breathe whether he's choking her or not. She needs this. She needs it so badly. She's been waiting, slowly letting it eat at her insides, and now it burns inside of her, and she's so aroused.

"Want more? Need more?" Jean-Jacques asks.

"Need… it!" Juleka rasps through her restricted throat. Her eyes roll back as she feels him squeeze her neck harder. It's everything like she fantasized it would be... and more. Jean-Jacques lets her fall to the floor with a thud. She hits her head on the concrete, and her hair falls into a jumbled and knotted mess. "I want you to bend me over that table and punish me." Juleka instructs, indicating to the table where lies Alix's remains. "Then... I want you to fuck me."

"Yes Daddy," Jean-Jacques obeys.

* * *

"We must be close now," Ladybug determines.

"How do you know?" Cat Noir asks, panting. They've been running through countless corridors, and no matter which way they turn, the paths keep going in circles. It's almost as if they keep changing and rearranging while they have their backs turned.

"Can't you smell it?" It's true; the psychopath's foul stench permeates every part of this passageway, and as they advance, it only enriches. From ahead, Ladybug hears the crack of a whip and the piercing cry of a damsel. Ladybug and Cat Noir recognize the voice of Juleka in pain, and they proceed with haste. This sequentially murderous onslaught ends now.

* * *

Jean-Jacques raises the whip once more, and Juleka readies herself to receive it. She is bent over Alix's body on the table. Her ankles are bound tightly to the base of the legs of the table, and her arms are stretched out above her head secured to the bolts that still hold Alix's arms in place. This might be the best night of her life.

Just before Jean-Jacques brings the whip down on Juleka's bare, bruised ass, Ladybug's yoyo flies in and wraps around Jean-Jacques's wrist, halting his hand. Juleka looks up to see Cat Noir cutting her free from the restraints with his claws. "Don't worry, miss, he won't hurt you anymore. We're here to save you!" Cat Noir purrs with satisfaction.

"What? I don't want to be saved," Juleka insists, pulling up her pants.

"Nonsense, come with me," Cat Noir helps her up.

"Oh thank god you're here, Cat Noir! You gotta save me from this maniac!" Max claims. Cat Noir releases Max in the same fashion and takes him and Juleka by the arms and leads them to the doorway.

Ladybug quickly subdues Jean-Jacques, then declares, "All right, mister, it's time for you to pay up for killing all those innocent people." Ladybug looks him in the eyes fiercely. Her vendetta is about to be settled. "We're putting you behind bars, you odorous villain!"

"NO!" Juleka outcries, "Let him go!"

Ladybug and Cat Noir look back at her curiously. "What?" Cat Noir says. Juleka retracts her arm from Cat Noir's grasp and slaps him. Then she rushes over to Ladybug who insists that she gets out of there with Cat Noir as quickly as possible. Juleka won't have any of it, and she grabs Ladybug by the pigtail and drags her out the door.

"And don't come back!" Juleka shouts, slamming the iron door in Ladybug's and Cat Noir's faces. Seconds later, Cat Noir hears Juleka lock the door from the other side.

Ladybug and Cat Noir stare blankly at each other, blinking, wondering, "What the hell just happened?"


	6. Part I Chapter VI

**Author's Note: For those of you who skipped the previous chapter: Max has been saved. Juleka is preoccupied, and the psychopath no longer poses an immediate threat.**

Chapter VI

Ladybug and Cat Noir guide Max back to the stairwell leading up to Chloe's dismembered body and continue their search for the akuma victim. Being underground this whole time has had detrimental effects on Ladybug's usual strategy. Normally, the villain makes a scene and a trail of screaming bystanders wherever he unleashes his newly acquired powers, but this villain has lured her underground. In open spaces, her yoyo can be used quite liberally, but in these narrow corridors, the effectiveness of her yoyo is minimalized. The same goes for Cat Noir. With the low ceilings and tight corners, it is very difficult for him to maneuver with his baton unless it is shrunk, limiting him to close-quarters engagements.

"I think it's time we tried a new strategy," Cat Noir suggests, "Wandering aimlessly through this labyrinth is getting us nowhere!"

"I agree, but we have no idea where he is hiding!" Ladybug exclaims, "For all we know, he might not even be down here in the first place!" Ladybug is starting to get really frustrated. None of the akuma villains have ever been this difficult to trace. And what's worse, she still doesn't know if Adrian is safe or not! If anything were to happen to her sweet Adrian… Ladybug tries not to think about it too much. There's too much at stake for her to be getting all flustered. Even so, she can't help but imagine the horrible things Authorror might do to him! "Maybe we should split up," Ladybug suggests, thinking that they could cover more ground in a shorter period of time.

"Oh please no!" Cat Noir pleads, clutching Ladybug's arm to his chest, "Don't leave me all by myself!" Ladybug yanks her arm out from his greedy clutches and gives him an awkward look… "I mean," he corrects, "What I meant to say is… err… we can't split up because… uhh… we need to watch each other's backs! Yeah, if we split up, something might sneak up on us from behind!" Ladybug gives him a skeptical look. He's not fooling anyone today.

However, the moment is interrupted as Authorror's voice invades the superheroes' minds once again, "Yes," he says, "Perhaps you should part ways…"

"See?" Cat Noir contends, "He _wants_ us to split up. That means we have to stay together!"

"Can't you see that he's trying to use reverse-psychology?" Ladybug asserts.

"Wait, what?"

"He said that to make us think that we should stay together. He doesn't want us to separate! That means we have to!" Ladybug states with finality, trying to be two steps ahead of her opponent.

"But wouldn't that mean that instead of doing the opposite of what he said, we should do exactly what he said because he would have been expecting us to do the opposite of what he said?" Cat Noir suggests, hoping that Ladybug will listen to his reverse-reverse-psychology.

"But he would probably expect us to be smarter than that, therefore he would expect us to expect him to expect us not to trust what he said. So then we should split up because he wants us to think that what he wants is for us to listen to what he said, knowing that we will do the opposite, and since that's what he expects us to do, we should do what he says, because he won't be expecting it!" Ladybug concludes, only about 85% sure that what she said is logically correct.

Cat Noir is about to protest, when a screeching sound emanates from farther down the corridor. Ladybug and Cat Noir freeze in place. What in the world made that horrendous noise? Ladybug turns to look down the hallway, and she hears a subtle scraping sound in the distance against the concrete floors. She takes a step toward it, and Cat Noir whispers, "Are you really sure we should walk _towards_ the scary scraping sounds?"

"It's the only lead we've got. We have to check it out!" Ladybug whispers back. "Wait, why are we whispering?" Ladybug says in a normal voice.

At that moment, a huge, black lumbering creature turns the corner at the end of the hallway, and as soon as it's eyes lock onto Ladybug's bright red suit, it comes charging at her like a bull. It crumbles the very concrete as it's powerful claws dig into it. It's eyes are as black as the rest of its body, and it's fins (which look more like spikes really) brush against the walls and ceiling of the confined corridor (no doubt the source of the scraping noise) as it charges through the hallway like a bullet in the barrel of a gun. Cat Noir screams like a girl as he turns tail and runs in the opposite direction, grabbing Ladybug and dragging her with him with one arm while gesticulating with the other. Ladybug takes a chance to look back, and she is able to make out the creature's blood-stained teeth gaping in its mouth and its snake-like tongue flopping about.

The red, polka-dotted suit on Ladybug's back continues to agitate the creature, making it angrier and angrier. It bellows a gurgling howl (which sounds something like the backfire of a combustion engine and the alteration of two high-pitched notes on a piano), and Ladybug feels the adrenaline pumping through her veins like a garden hose with half of the opening covered.

Ladybug and Cat Noir turn a corner and find themselves at the edge of an abyss which plummets quickly into total darkness. Cat Noir looks over his shoulder and shouts, "Ladybug! It's still coming!" Ladybug is caught between certain death to a hideous creature and almost-certain death to a bottomless pit. She has a fraction of a moment to decide.

"Cat Noir," she says, "Let's hope you land on your feet." She grabs him by the collar and yanks him down as she tumbles down into the darkness. Cat Noir clutches Ladybug around her waist and screams like a child, digging his claws into her sides as they plummet together to their doom.

* * *

Somehow, Ladybug and Cat Noir miraculously survive the fall, or rather their fall is interrupted. As they are falling to their almost-certain deaths, Cat Noir's tail just so happens to get caught on a protruding piece of metal, yanking them upwards and halting their rapid descent. Now, Cat Noir hangs by his tail, suspended in total darkness with his precious Ladybug holding onto him for dear life. Despite the circumstances, Cat Noir can't help but enjoy himself for a moment as her arms and legs wrap around him, clutching him like a fastened G-clamp.

Luckily for Cat Noir, his cat-eyes allow him to barely make out the shapes of his surroundings, while Ladybug is rendered completely blind. There is nothing but darkness to be seen above them, and there is absolutely nothing but darkness below them, at least not that he can see. They are hanging quite close to one wall, while the other wall is several meters away to the opposite side. They must have fallen quite far, because the air around them has changed temperature from slightly chilly to slightly warm. Cat Noir can feel the warm air rising from below, creating a sort of rising air current like a vent, and it makes him wonder what is below that is generating all that heat.

Cat Noir feels drops of sweat form on his forehead, and he notices that it is only getting warmer. He looks down again, but this time he sees a very faint orange glow very far below. He squints his eyes, trying to make out what it is or gauge how far away it is, then he feels Ladybug's hand starting to slip from around his back. She won't be able to hold on forever; he has to figure out something. He looks back down and realizes that the glow is getting brighter, because now he can make out much more of his surroundings. He can clearly see the jagged piece of metal upon which his tail was caught when he looks up. He can make out the walls of the cavern when he looks around, and he realizes that the pit into which they've fallen is much more like a tube than an underground ravine as he had previously thought. The walls are rocky with bits of metal and concrete jutting out sporadically, and it's almost a surprise that they didn't get caught by something sooner than they did.

The glow gets even brighter still, and now it's starting to get really hot as the upward draft gets stronger and hotter. Ladybug still can't see a thing, but Cat Noir can clearly see the panic in her face when she says, "Cat Noir I'm slipping," as her legs fall out from around his waist.

She swings her legs back up and re-grips him saying, "We need to figure a way out of this mess."

"Yeah, I don't wanna _hang_ around here much longer." He responds.

"This is not the time for stupid puns!" Ladybug says. The urgency in her eyes is evidence of that.

Cat Noir looks around once more as his breathing grows heavy. It feels like the air is getting thicker, like a humid marsh on a hot summer day. After the most recent glance at his surroundings, Cat Noir spots an opening in the far wall within the reach of his baton! It could very well be a way out of their predicament!

The glow gets brighter, and the air gets hotter still. Cat Noir feels his eyes starting to tingle from the heat, and he feels like a vegetable inside of steamer. "Over there," Cat Noir says, "There's an opening. I think we can get to it using my baton!"

"Where?" Ladybug asks, her sweaty hands fighting to hold on to Cat Noir's torso.

"Over there," Cat Noir points, but he realizes that she still can't see a thing. He can't rely on Ladybug's prowess this time. It's all up to him; both of their lives are in his hands.

"Cat Noir, doesn't your baton have a light?"

"Oh yeah…" He had completely forgotten.

"Let me see it."

Cat Noir reaches around to grab his baton, but at that moment, the metal piece holding them up gives way, but it stops before completely breaking off. Ladybug and Cat Noir are rattled and shaken. Ladybug loses her grip and starts to fall, but she manages to grab hold of Cat Noir's collar with one hand, barely saving her life. "That was close!" she remarks.

Cat Noir had managed to get his baton, however when the metal gave out slightly, it slipped out of his sweaty hand, and he dropped it into the abyss. Of all times, why did fate choose now to exhibit his notorious rotten luck?

"Cat Noir, what are you doing? Give me your baton."

"Umm, Ladybug…"

"What is it? Hurry up!"

"I-I dropped it."

Ladybug's face goes pale. The couple dangles from Cat Noir's tail, and the burning glow gets brighter below.

* * *

At this point, the glow is bright enough that Ladybug can start to make out the outlines of her surroundings. Now, she can see Cat Noir's face as he apologizes profusely for being an idiot. Honestly, how did she get stuck with him as her partner? She turns her head to look around, still hanging with one hand from Cat Noir's collar. Her arm is getting tired; she's exhausted, but she has to hold on as long as she can, at least until she can figure a way out. She won't die like this, not at the hands of Hawk-Moth's villain.

She can barely see the opening that Cat Noir pointed out, but it's getting so hot that she can hardly think straight. She takes a labored breath. She's so tired. Her eyes grow heavy, and she blinks through the weariness trying to encase her like a thick and syrupy coat. She switches hands on Cat Noir's collar and reaches for her yoyo. She only has enough strength for one throw.

The air forces its way upward through the tunnel, and Ladybug takes a moment to make the mental adjustment for air friction. If she aims it just below its mark, the air will force her yoyo upwards just enough to grapple perfectly. She winds up her yoyo, creating a circle with the light-trail as it spins. She lets it go, and the yoyo sails through the air, curling slightly upwards toward its mark. The yoyo swings up and spins around a wayward piece of metal, gripping it tightly.

Ladybug lets go of Cat Noir and swings across the gap. Her feet strike the opposite wall, and she hoists herself upwards using the yoyo as a rope-and-anchor. As she climbs though, she glances down to see that the glowing from below has changed from a small light to a large, burning inferno, and it's coming up the tube, fast! Once she is safely standing on the ledge with the escape tunnel to her back, Ladybug turns her attention to Cat Noir, still hanging helplessly from the same spot. She looks down again, and realizes that she only has a few moments to get Cat Noir and herself out of there before they become next Sunday's barbeque. Ladybug casts her yoyo like a fishing rod, and it hooks Cat Noir around his collar. She yanks him off the piece of metal that saved their lives and reels him in like a cat-fish.

Finally, Ladybug and Cat Noir turn tail and run as the air gets strong enough to lift them off their feet and shoot them through the escape tunnel! Ladybug and Cat Noir scream as they feel the fires to their backs flowing through the abyss where they were hanging just moments before. Ladybug grabs Cat Noir's hand as they're flying through the tunnel, and before long, the gusting winds subside, and they collapse to the floor, breathless, once again subjected to total darkness.


End file.
